Colombia seeks to up budget 2.3 pct in 2016, excluding debt

BOGOTA, July 14 (Reuters) - Colombia's government seeks to
boost its 2016 budget to 167.2 trillion pesos, or $62 billion,
up 2.3 percent from this year, Finance Minister Mauricio
Cardenas said Tuesday.

The proposal, which does not include debt payments, will be
debated by Congress when a new legislative session begins July
20. President Juan Manuel Santos's governing coalition has a
majority in both the Senate and the chamber of representatives.

Colombia's finances have been dented by a global fall in the
price for crude, which provides nearly a quarter of government
income.

"The amount excludes total debt payment and will increase
from 163.5 trillion this year to 167.2 trillion pesos in 2016,
an increase of 2.3 percent," Cardenas told journalists.